Imitating Jesus

Jesus has come to be the Savior. That is something that is basic to our religion, and it needs to be. But Jesus has come for other reasons also. And one of those reasons is to be an example for us, an example of how to live well. And that fits with last week's sermon. Jesus was, and is, a man. So, when you hear the call to follow Jesus, that's not just about things to believe about Jesus. It's also about how to live. It's also about imitating Jesus.

With this in mind, I want to look at something that you regularly face. I want to look at evil. Sometimes it comes at you in things that are big. But not usually. Usually, evil is something that comes in little packages, little annoyances, little setbacks. There are different ways that people respond to evil. Sometimes people respond rather passively. They allow the situation to take control, to decide for them. There are different styles of being passive. There is the religious style of passive response. Here, the person tells himself that he needs to pray about the situation. He does, but that's all he does. That’s a passive response. Or a person might remind himself that God is in control of the situation. True. But again, after telling himself that, he does nothing. Prayer and God's control over things are important and true. But neither is a call to become passive. As we'll see, Jesus prayed and He knew that the Father was in control, but that did not lead to anything like being passive.

Then, of course, there are those who take the opposite course. These are more aggressive. They react, and sometimes they react rather strongly. They might complain, even loudly, about the injustice of it all. And sometimes there are those who are even more aggressive than that. But their hope of change, of dealing well with the evil that they face, is bound up in themselves.

That's how some people respond to evil. How did Jesus respond? What are the sorts of things that He did, things that we can imitate? We're going to consider one time Jesus faced evil. We're going to look at what happened when Jesus was arrested. Listen.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

So, what happened? Jesus' conversation with the eleven is over. His prayer is finished. Now, Jesus leads His little band out of the city and into a familiar garden. Judas knows about this garden and shows up with the local police. As He sees these men approach, Jesus exits the garden and confronts them. He asks whom they were looking for. They let Him know, and He replies, 'I'm your man.' These men are quite literally taken aback by the way that Jesus responds. Jesus then intercedes for the eleven so that they can escape. This is where Peter once again reveals some of the dynamics of his heart. He pulls out a weapon and begins to use it. Jesus rebukes him. Jesus is then cuffed and taken away.

So, what's going on? Evil is going on. The religious leaders have had enough. They have decided to get rid of this pest. They will use the system to destroy Jesus. Evil is going on. How does Jesus respond to all of this? What can we see here so that we can imitate Jesus? 

First, you'll note that Jesus is quite calm. There is no sense of panic, no anxiety, no fear. He isn't swept up by the events of that evening. Actually, He takes charge. He takes the initiative. He doesn't wait for those men to confront Him. He leaves the little garden enclosure to meet them, and He does that on His terms. He asserts a measure of control by asking that question, 'Whom do you seek?' Jesus is not a victim of the situation. He isn't passive. He has chosen to act.

How is it that Jesus is able to respond in this way? For one thing, Jesus is not surprised by what is going on. In fact, He expected it. John tells us that He knew what would happen. Jesus responds in this way because He knows some things. He understands what's going on. He expects evil.

This is where someone might respond, 'But we can't know what's going to happen like Jesus did?' Is that true? Remember from last week that Jesus lived as a real man. He didn't cheat by appealing to His divine nature in situations like the one we're looking at. So, how did Jesus, the man, know what was going to happen? He knew because He was wise. He understood God, other people and Himself. You can know much about what's going on and what's going to happen - much - if you develop some wisdom. Jesus had increased in wisdom as Luke tells us. That's why He could know what He did.

So, by wisdom you can have a sense of what's going on. And because of that you can prepare. And, as a result, instead of anxiety or panic or other forms of fear, you'll be as calm as Jesus. And being calm, you'll avoid becoming a victim of the situation. Instead, you will exert a measure of control over the situation, certainly control over how you act. You can imitate Jesus in this.

Then, there's Peter. He has an alternative plan. He opts for being aggressive and wants to battle his way out of the problem. 'I have a weapon. I think I'll use it.' Peter is, again, being a tool of the devil. He's tempting Jesus to avoid the Cross. But Jesus will have none of that. Why? Well, what did Jesus say to Peter?

Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?

What is this? It's Jesus' submission. He keeps to the Father's plan, frightening though it be. Because of that, He avoids Peter's aggressive response to evil, a response that would keep Him from the Cross. Here again, it's a matter of what Jesus knows. He knows what the Father has called Him to. He knows about the Cross. So, Peter's response is out. But please notice that being submissive is not the same as being passive. Jesus knew the Father's will and He aggressively submitted to it.

All of this might sound stoic to some. No emotions. All you have to do is think the right things and then do them. This is where I need to remind you of Jesus' earlier prayer in Gethsemane. Luke tells us that Jesus was so intense in His praying, wrestling with the will of the Father, that He sweat blood. Doesn't sound very stoic to me. There is much emotion involved in dealing with evil. Much. Actually, getting emotional about evil is not optional. We are to imitate Jesus in that also. But once He worked through His issues with the will of God, He was able to respond well when the evil showed up.

So, Jesus responds well to evil. Does that mean that it all turns out that He lived 'happily ever after'? Well, what happened? After being arrested, Jesus was whipped, beaten and killed. To all appearances, evil won, right? Well, not exactly. The Cross isn't the end of the story? After the apparent victory of evil comes the ultimate victory of good. Jesus is raised on the third day to become Savior of the world and Lord of the nations. The story does end, 'And they lived happily ever after'. It's just that you might have to suffer through some evil to get there. And Jesus knew this also. Knowing how the story ends helps you to deal with the evil that's in the middle.

Now comes the obvious question. How do you do this? You are called to imitate Jesus. How can you respond to evil like He did? Here's the first step: believe that you can imitate Him. Remember something that I said last week. It is the Father's plan that you would become 'conformed to the image of His Son'. The Gospel is about you becoming like Jesus, you living like He did. That won't happen if you think it can't. You need to believe the Gospel. Now, there are other things for you to do for this to happen. One of them is to increase in wisdom - just as Jesus did. I may come back to that in the future. But for today here's a question to ask yourself. 'Do I believe that I can imitate Jesus, that I can become like Him?' That applies to how you respond to evil and lots of other areas, too. The Gospel says that you can. Do you believe it?

Last question. Why is this important? There are lots of reasons. Here's just one. This is important for the sake of Jesus' reputation in our world. When I was young my mother made sure that I understood that what I did out in the world reflected on our family. Because of that, I was to be careful that I brought no shame on the family. (What a quaint notion.) What you do out in the world reflects on Jesus. It affects His reputation and the reputation of His family. Most unbelievers these days have a very low opinion of Jesus and His family. And it seems to me that such a low opinion is deserved. The actions of so many Christians out there in the world are making Jesus look bad. You can change that as you work at living as He did and teaching your children to do the same. Imitate Jesus and make Him look good.